Morning journal and courier., 1887-01-22
News by Telegraph
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
INTER COMMERCE.
The Bill That Went Through
Congress.
DOC" WILSON'S SAD PLIGHT.
Archbishop .Corrigan On
DR.. McGIynn.
THE WEEKLY review OF TRADE.
Cases Of Smallpox In
New York.
THE WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE..


Passed Both Houses of Congress.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21.-The Interstate
| commerce bill as agreed upon by both
houses of Congress provides that. all charges
made for any service rendered in the trans
portation of passengers and property by COM
mon carriers shall Unreasonable and just and
every unjust and unreasonable charge for
such service is prohibited and declared to be
unlawful. Section 2 makes it unlawful for
any common carrier to charge or receive
directly or indirectly from any person OF per-
sons greater or less compensation for any
service rendered in the transportation of pas
sengers OF property than it charges or receives
from another person or persons for doing
like and contemporaneous service in the
transportation of like kind of traffic under
substantially similar circumstances and con-
ditions. Section 8 makes it unlawful for
any common carrier to make or give any
undue or unreasonable prefer
ence or advantage to any par
ticular person, company. firm OF cor
poration or locality or any particular de-
scription of traffic. Section and 5 (the
long and short haul and pooling seetions) are
as follows: Section T. That it shall be I'M
lawful for any common carrier subject to the
provisions of this act to charge or receive
any greater compensation in the aggregate
for the transportation of passengers or of like
kind of property under substantially similar
circumstances and conditions for shorter
than for longer distance over the same line
in the same direction, the shorter being in
~ lint hall
not bs construed as authorizing any common
carrier within the terms of this act to charge
and receive as great compensation for a
shorter as for longer distance;
provided that upon application to the COM
mission appointed under the provisions of
this act such common carrier may in special
cases after investigation by the commission
be authorized to charge less for longer than
for shorter distances for the transportation of
passengers or property, and the commission
may from time to time prescribe the extent
to which such designated common carrier
may be relieved from the operation of this
section of this act Section s. That it shall
be unlawful for any common carrier subject
to the provisions of this act to enter into
any contract, agreement or combination
with any other common carrier or
carriers for the pooling of freights
of different and competing roads or to
divide between them the aggregate or net
proceeds of the carriages of such railroads
or any portion thereof and in any case of an
agreement for the pooling of freight as afore-
said each day of its continuance shall be
deemed separate ofense.
Section provides that after ninety days
from the passage of the act every common
carrier subject to its provisions shall have
printed and keep and kept for public inspec-
ton schedule showing rates, fares and
charges and in addition to requiring the rail
roads to give publicly at all the depots on
the several lines it gives authority to the
commission where it is proper and necessary
to require them to give publicity OF their
rates to other places beyond the lines of their
several railroads. It provides that the rates,
fares and charges shall not be raised except
after ten days of public notice, but that they
may be reduced without previous public no.
tice; the notice.. however, shall be simulta-
neous with the reduction itself. Section
makes it unlawful for any common carrier to
enter into any combination or agreement to
prevent the carriage of freight from being
continuous from the place of shipment to the
place of destination.
Section declares that any common car
rier violating the provisions OF the act shall
be liable to the person or persons injured
thereby for the full amount of damages sus-
CalneO IN consequence VI any ellCA 'loiaCAoA
together with reasonable counsel or attor-
ney's fee The ninth section provides that
persons claiming to have been damaged by
abe action of common carriers may proceed
for.recovery of damages either in the courts
of the United States OF before the commission
but not before both tribunals. The tenth
section makes it q penal otfense to violate
any of the provisions of this act and puts
the maximum of the fine at SIS 900.
The seventeen following sections contain
the commission features of the bill. They
provide for a commission of five appointed
by the President by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate, whose term of Office
shall be for six years except for the
first appointments, which are to be for two,
three, four, five and six years. Their prin-
cipai office shall be in Washington, but they
NAV hold sessions at other places and sim
gle member of the commission may take
testimony anywhere as may be directed by
the commission. The commissioners have
salaries of 81, 500 EACH The commission has
the power to appoint secretary with sal
airy of So, 500 and has authority to employ
and fix the compensation of such other
employees az it may find necessary to the
performance of its duties subject to the ap-
proval of the Secretary of the Interior. 1t ID
provided that nothing contained in the act
shall abridge the remedies now existing at
common law by statute. Section %
appropriates 500, 900 for the purposes of the
act for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1888.
Section "a provides that the provisions of the
sections relating to the appointment and
organization of the commission shall take
| effect Immediately and that the remaining
provisions shall take effect sixty days after
| its passage.